Optical chief tables bid for leading Scottish golf club

Optical chief tables bid for leading Scottish golf club

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HIGH-PROFILE Scottish entrepreneur David Moulsdale has launched a bid for an historic golf club located in the shadow of the Campsie Hills.

The Herald has learned that Mr Moulsdale, who founded the Optical Express chain, has submitted an offer to acquire Cawder Estate and the long-term lease of Cawder Golf Club in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire.

The offer has been lodged with landowner Derwent of London, according to an email circulated to club members on August 24.

No information is provided in the email, which has been seen by The Herald, concerning the value of the offer. However, the club strives in the circular to reassure members that Mr Moulsdale’s proposal would not lead to the estate “being used for commercial or residential developments and that there is no likelihood of this changing in the future”.

It notes Mr Moulsdale’s intention to invest in the estate, build a golf academy and to put the club “at the centre of his plans to create a resurgence of golf in Scotland.”

Mr Moulsdale is a former member of the club.

The email states: “He has also stated that, if successful, he will grant the club an extended rent free period to allow us to improve our financial position.”

“The process is at a very early stage and at this time, we have no indication of Derwent’s position regarding the offer.”

The proposal has come to light following a spate of golf club closures across Scotland, as finances come under pressure because of dwindling memberships.

The most recent figures from Scottish Golf show that there have been 17 course closures since 2013, though some of those have since re-opened in different formats.

The Herald revealed in August that Mount Ellen in Gartcosh, Lanarkshire was closing, leaving its membership “devastated” and in a “state of shock”. The club, which formed in 1904, succumbed to financial pressures following a steady decline in membership numbers.

Other recent closures include Carrick Knowe in Edinburgh and Brunston Castle in Ayrshire, and the 126-year-old Eastwood Golf Club, near Newton Mearns, which shut in May. Camperdown in Dundee is also to be closed by the city council in a cost-cutting measure.

Cawder Golf Club can trace its roots back 1933 and comprises two courses located on the Cawder Estate. According to the club’s website , it can be reached from Glasgow city centre in 10 minutes. Its championship course was designed by the celebrated course architect, and former professional golfer, James Braid. Mr Braid, a five-time winner of The Open Championship, designed and modelled more than 200 courses through Britain, as well as one in the US. His creations include the King’s Course and Queen’s Course at Gleneagles, and he also remodelled Open venue Carnoustie in 1926.

Mr Moulsdale is described in the email to Cawder Golf Club members as an “active philanthropist in the Scottish and international community”. The message notes that he was “under no obligation to inform the club of his actions and could have progressed to dealing with Derwent directly.”

It adds: “David has agreed to meet with the membership to outline his plans for the development of the estate at a time sympathetic to Derwent’s consideration of his bid. He and the club understand that there is no possibility of the land on the Cawder estate being used for commercial or residential developments and that there is no likelihood of this changing in the near future.

“The club is protected by a long term lease, the latest iteration of which runs until 2041 and therefore any change of ownership would not affect our ability to continue to operate as a club under our existing terms and conditions.”

No one at the club was available for comment. Mr Moulsdale could not be reached for comment. Derwent declined to comment.

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